Condo Reviews The Trillium Review: Best location in River Valley?

12 min read

About this condo

Project	The Trillium	District	09
Address	Kim Seng Road	Tenure	Freehold
Site Area	137,904 sqft	No. of Units	231
Developer	Lippo Land Corporation	TOP	2010

I remember when the Trillium was first built, it looked super modern, almost futuristic even. Especially driving down Zion Road and seeing the 3 circular towers brightly lighted up at night, it was quite the sight back then. But now, almost ten years on it is starting to show its age as the circular look is going out of fashion. In comes the modern, clean lines that are dark and full of glass. It’s easy to forget in the competitive world of real estate in Singapore that ultimately, the most important criteria to buyers is all about the location. Coming home to a nice modern building will no doubt be refreshing the first few times, but even that can wear thin in a not-as-desirable location. The Trillium is one such example, one that the location trumps everything else and I think this could be the best location in all of River Valley right now.

Insider Tour

Facilities in The Trillium

Multi-purpose Room	Swimming Pool	Steam Room
Theatrette	Barbeque Pits	Courtyard Garden with Water Wall
Playground	Sauna	Children’s Pool
Leisure Lounge	Multi-purpose Court

The entrance and exit of the Trillium are pretty nondescript, unlike some of the grand arrival courts of other condominiums.

This was the brightest part of the carpark, but mostly the carpark is a bit dark and if I may say so, common looking.

Each tower has a circular lobby as every unit here has a private lift.

Like most condos, the lobby area is only accessible if you have the residents card or you get buzzed up.

Each tower has a drop-off point and is fully sheltered, which is always useful in tropical Singapore.

Like I said at the start of the review, the circular design is no longer in fashion in Singapore. I do think that the Trillium looks pretty cool from far away still, but up close, it looks like it was built a generation behind. Not everyone will agree with me, but the Cosmopolitan’s design looks more current even though it is 2 years older.

Just to show how long the length of the development is, this driveway leads you out from the end of the basement carpark.

The swimming pool at the Trillium is nice enough. It’s a 40m pool, but given the space that the development has over its neighbours, it is a bit of a letdown.

At the risk of sounding like I am nitpicking, the swimming pool, like all things in the Trillium is really just average. Nothing properly stands out, which is not bad. It’s just you don’t get the wow feeling as you do in some other developments.

There are quite a few deck chairs along the length of the pool, complete with big umbrellas for some shade during sunny days.

You do get various forms of sofa couches spread around the development as well, which is a nice touch.

I like the lagoon-like pool behind the main pool. The beach-like access is great for kids to get in and out or to just wade in the shallow areas.

And if they like, they can always run over to the playground that is well situated nearby.

Next to it is the side gate that leads you to the bus stop or directly to Great World City.

The clubhouse is right by the pool and contains the gym and multi-purpose room. The gym faces the pool and is quite spacious.

It just so happened the multi-purpose room was being used for a kid’s birthday party on that day. I think having a function room is always a great facility to have, particularly for those living in the smaller units that do not have as much space to entertain.

So between the first two towers is the swimming pool, and the common space in the next area is used for landscaping and some other facilities. I like that there was ample space to move around, and you do not feel constrained at all despite the central city location.

Close to the water features, there is a well-manicured putting green area. It looks nice for sure, but I don’t see many people using it and do wish that the area was utilised for something else.

Round by the back is a zip line over a sandy patch. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in any other development, so that is something unique all right. If you have kids, they would undoubtedly love to play here.

There is just so much space on this side of the Trillium, but I can’t quite shake the thought that this portion could be put to better use.

At the far corner of the Trillium, you’ll find an outdoor fitness area.

Amazingly, that they have two tennis courts over here, and it’s more than enough for the 231 units.

Next to the tennis courts is the barbeque area. It is quite a large space, and very usable as well. I like that they have made the whole area sheltered, which is great in case of rainy weather.

Lots of seating for you to hold a large gathering.

Right at the end is a multi-purpose court. It’s not a full-sized one but certainly more than adequate. Many developments don’t have this due to a lack of space, so this is something very welcome to see.

This side gate is currently closed for now, but once the Great World MRT is up, you will be able to access it from here as well as to the park connector.

In the middle of each tower, the whole level is dedicated to even more facilities.

There’s seating at the various corners.

Which offers views towards Great World City.

Over on the other side, there are more seating areas as well as a barbeque section that I would prefer to be on a windy, cool night.

Well, if you ignore the construction going on, the views on the side of the Trillium are pretty amazing. It would be nice to sit here and kick back after a long day at work.

The Trillium Review – Location

Over the last few years, the redevelopment along River Valley Road has been quite astonishing. Now when you drive along the stretch beginning from Alexandra, the closeness of the road to the newer developments like RV Residences, Loft @ Nathan and Stellar RV makes it feel quite cramped. The same goes for the Killiney and Devonshire area, where there are a ton of condominium developments. Which brings us to the location of the Trillium and why I think it is the best place to be in River Valley. If you look at the map of River Valley, it is almost right in the centre of everything. Despite that, it is the least cramped in terms of the concentration of buildings. 

Before the announcement of the Great World MRT station, River Valley was one of those places that offered a great lifestyle that was close to the city. But this was only really for people who had cars as the closest MRT stations were Tiong Bahru and unless you stayed closer to the Somerset area, Somerset MRT station. Now, with the upcoming MRT station, the place to be in River Valley is right next to it. The connectivity and convenience that you enjoy with an MRT station at your doorstep are unparalleled. Heading to Orchard? No problem at all, it is now just one stop away. You can also get to Chinatown, CBD and even Marina Bay with the Thomson-East Coast Line. 

I know many people reading this might be thinking to themselves: “River Valley is for the rich anyway, most people will have cars.” The truth is that with the Government looking to transform Singapore into a car-lite society and news of distance-based ERP in 2020, having an MRT station at your doorstep is such a future proof option. Perhaps the only downside you have to consider at this point is the construction going on to build the MRT station, expect to hear constant noise throughout the day. Good things are worth the wait.

Speaking of which, for those who drive the location of the Trillium is easy to get to and to drive to most important locations. This is because Kim Seng Road and River Valley Road are major roads that will lead you to places like Orchard, City Hall area and the CBD. And this brings me to my next point. Again, thanks to its location on Kim Seng Road, you have direct access to a bus stop which is right outside the development. The bus services that ply this route include 75, 970, NR5, 5, 16, 175 and 195.

The other fantastic point about this location is that you are directly opposite Great World City shopping centre. Like the review that we did of the Cosmopolitan condo, it is super convenient to have a proper shopping centre just at your doorstep. As there can be only so many developments that are situated so close to a shopping centre, this is truly something worth boasting about. I love that there is a proper sized Cold Storage so readily available. And now with the planned revamp, you even get a Medi-Ya (Japanese Supermarket). 

In addition to those amenities, you also have direct access to lots of new food options in Great World City. Just to whet your appetite, the new eateries include Mavrx Coffee Bar, Din Tai Fung, Tim Ho Wan, Ho Fook Hei Soy Sauce Chicken, Imperial Treasure Steamboat, Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Four Seas Fish Grill. To appeal to the young ones there will also be a family entertainment centre called Amazonia which offers a new Northern Lights concept, indoor trampoline, and virtual reality zones. 

As a local, it is hard for me to go for more than a few days without having any hawker food. Which is why it is great that Zion Riverside Food Centre is barely a two-minute walk away. The best part?

The walk along Kim Seng Promenade is absolutely scenic as it is just by the Singapore River. 

This brings me to my final point on why I think the Trillium has the best location in River Valley. Although it does not have the waterfront views like the Rivergate and the upcoming Riviere, it is super close by. Once the Great World MRT station is built, there will be a park connector that will lead you to Kim Seng Park. From then on it is a charming stroll to Robertson Quay, which is the perfect place for lazy weekend brunches or even an exciting night out. 

For those parents who are concerned about schools, River Valley Primary School is in walking distance, via the same scenic route as described above. There are of course other schools in the vicinity, but unfortunately, are not as near and would require to go by car or the school bus. This includes Raffles Girls Secondary School, Anglo-Chinese School, Chatsworth International School, and St Margaret’s Primary School. For young children, you have the option of Kay Poh Road Baptist Kindergarten and Brighton Montessori International Pre-School. 

Development Site

The Trillium sits on a very long rectangular strip, which is almost as long as the length of Great World City. One advantage of a layout like this would be the space that you have between the blocks, as it can utilise the length to create a bigger separation. Unfortunately, as the Trillium is sandwiched between the Cosmopolitan condo and the Centennia Suites, all the blocks will be facing a tower of some sort. But the unique thing is because of the circular design, the units all have an angular facing, which is great as the result means you do not directly face your neighbours.

Another thing that I like about the site is the openness that you get when you are standing in the common areas of the development. Unlike many other condominiums in River Valley, because the Trillium is placed between Great World City and the MRT station, you do not get many (other than Great World itself) tall buildings peering into the common areas at all. This gives a great sense of privacy despite it being in such a central location. Also because the MRT side is a low building, you do not get any blockage on the other side at all.

One more thing I would like to point out would be the roads that lead to the entrance of the Trillium. As of now, the entrance that you can come by Kim Seng Road is closed due to the construction of the MRT station, but once it opens, you will be able to access the development via both Kim Seng Road and River Valley Road. If you have been frequent readers of the blog, you would know that I am a big fan of developments that have multiple entrance points as it is always more convenient and prevents a build-up of traffic during peak hours.

The unit mix of the Trillium is very simple:

Unit mix

Unit Type	Size (sqft)
2-bedroom	1,399 sqft
3-bedroom	1,798 sqft
4-bedroom	2,217 – 2,390 sqft
Penthouse	5,500 sqft

The units for each category at the Trillium is super generous and definitely above average especially when you compare to many of the new launches in the city centre nowadays. I am super impressed by the size of the 2-bedroom, it dwarfs many of the 3 and even 4 bedroom new launch units that I have visited recently!

The Trillium Review – Prices

Surrounding developments

Project Name	Tenure	TOP	Average Price (PSF)
The Trillium	Freehold	2010	$2,129
Cosmopolitan Condo	Freehold	2008	$2,277
Skypark	Freehold	2010	$1,432
Leonie Gardens	99 years	1993	$1,460
Sam Kiang Mansions	Freehold	1999	$1,659
Leonie Towers	Freehold	1976	$1,755
Luma	Freehold	2011	$1,766
Yong An Park	Freehold	1986	$1,817
Leonie Suites	99 years	2006	$1,858
Mirage Tower	Freehold	1996	$1,867
2 RVG	Freehold	2006	$1,959
Tiara	Freehold	1995	$1,960
The Trillium	Freehold	2010	$2,129
The Lumos	Freehold	2011	$2,509
Centennia Suites	Freehold	2013	$2,584
8 Saint Thomas	Freehold	2018	$3,187
New Futura	Freehold	2017	$3,533

The prices for the Trillium in terms of PSF is quite reasonable considering the location and size of the development. It is the cheapest out of the three (the other two being Cosmopolitan condo and Centennia Suites). But because the unit sizes here are big, the final quantum ends up being higher than the Cosmopolitan in reality.

Our Take

The Trillium is surrounded by lots of new sleek and modern condominiums and it is easy to overlook in that regard. But like I said at the beginning when you boil it all down its very clear the proposition that the Trillium offers. It is the best location that you can find in River Valley, and unless you are a sucker for the outlook design the convenience and benefits that the location brings is truly unbeatable.